Chapter 55
Ben
Ben couldn’t help but feel a pinprick of disappointment as he looked at his cellphone. He’d hoped Melody would still be at his place when he got home from practice.
He certainly couldn’t fault her for having a life outside of their relationship, but he was definitely disappointed. He understood not wanting to hang around his house alone for hours on end, but it still would have been nice to know she was there waiting for him.
“Logan!” Coach Dodds blared in his signature way. “Good skating today. We’re moving you up to the first line for tonight’s game.”
Ben’s eyes popped open in surprise as satisfaction coursed through his veins. He’d been skating well lately, gelling with his new team, and it felt great to have that acknowledged in such a tangible way.
Knowing Dodds wasn’t one to waste time on flowery sentiment, Ben settled for a sincere, but succinct, “Thanks, Coach.”
Dodds merely grunted in acknowledgment before walking away.
Ben couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. He was a character, that one.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Cassidy whistled. “At no point in this lifetime did I think you’d get moved up to the first line after the coaches learned you’re dating Mel.”
Ben eyed his teammate with curiosity. “What do you mean?”
The look Cassidy directed Ben’s way suggested that his meaning should have been obvious.
“As protective as Coach McGuire is of Mel?” Cassidy lifted his eyebrows dramatically.
“Hell. The man practically chewed me a new one just for daring to be her friend. I thought you’d get shipped off to Siberia when he learned you were actually dating her, not given a shot at the first line—especially so soon after being traded to the team. ”
Ben abstained from mentioning that Coach McGuire’s reaction to Cassidy getting chummy with his daughter might have had more to do with his teammate’s reputation as a playboy than their coach being an overprotective father.
He also didn’t think it was the time to remind Cassidy that he’d played first line center for the Flyers—and the Capitals before them—either.
Cassidy shook his head. “Dating Melody definitely hasn’t screwed up your game the way I thought it would,” he reiterated.
“I don’t think Melody has been anything but good for me,” Ben offered up circumspectly. “And my game.”
“You just better keep it up,” Cassidy instructed. “No one appreciates a slacker,” he stated. “But what people really don’t appreciate is a slacker who tries to ride on the coattails of nepotism.”
What the hell? First, he was lucky not to get traded or benched for dating Melody, but now he was using his relationship to advance his career?
Cassidy’s comment poked at Ben’s pride, but he tried not to allow himself to be provoked by the other man’s opinion.
It took a little bit of effort, but Ben kept his voice calm and steady when he responded, “Never in my life have I tried to benefit from preferential treatment.” Ben crossed his arms over his chest in what he was sure was a defensive pose.
“And I certainly don’t see that changing now. ”
Cassidy grunted in a way that sounded only slightly less monosyllabic than Coach Dodds. “Good,” Cassidy said, “because you’re still a new guy around here, and despite your years in the NHL, you still have something to prove.”
Cassidy lifted his head and pinned Ben with a look so intense that laser beams seemed to practically shoot out of his eyes. “And no one would take kindly to your dicking Melody around,” he declared darkly.
Ben couldn’t stop himself from bristling at that dig. “I have zero intention of mistreating Melody in any way.” He made sure to enunciate his words so there would be no misunderstanding them.
“You say that,” Cassidy observed with a penetrating look, “but this industry seems to have a way of effing up even the most promising relationships.”
Cassidy’s eyes cut away before he added, “It’s just one of the many reasons why I never thought Mel would date a player.”
A weird sort of foreboding skated over Ben’s skin. He had to consciously fight the urge to shiver.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to Melody and me,” Ben said with more conviction than he was currently feeling.
“If you say so,” Cassidy returned flippantly before wrapping his towel around his waist, slipping on his flip-flops, and striding off in the direction of the showers.
Now that he was alone, Ben found himself giving into the urge to rub at the gooseflesh still visible on his arms. He only hoped Cassidy’s prediction could be as easily brushed away.